A Vulpine Spanner in the Works

by Ten-Tailed-God

Believing that Momonga was the only Player remaining in YGGDRASIL at closing is an impossibility. What would happen if another Player, one not influenced by a guild of monsters arrived in the New World? Not all heroes are human, and not all monsters are skeletons. Sometimes, what one needs to change the world isn't great strength but instead trickery.

6. Chapter 6

A Vulpine Spanner in the Works
Chapter 6: Zaryusu: The Unexpected Goddess

Even with everything that I was shown and told by the stranger known as Kashia, I still half expected that this entire meeting was something closer to a dream than a reality. Everything about this woman was a mystery that I couldn't yet solve. She gave no definitive answer to her divinity, and yet she cast spells that were beyond anything I'd ever seen before.

Without effort, she created a lake and populated it with fish that she commanded to obey her orders. She cast a form of a teleportation spell and moved hundreds of fish, and the two of us, to a small village filled with goblins, ogres, and trolls that were working together. From encountering enough of those species, I know that it's rare to see a large number of them working together but having an entire village full of them not fighting each other was on an entirely different level from the small groups that I'd seen before.

And then there was Kashia's species. She claimed to be of the kitsune race, and yet I've never once heard of them in all my travels. There should've been some story or tale of humans who had multiple tails, and yet nothing existed on them that I should've learned from somewhere. Even with her claim that the kitsune were a race that was shy, one of them should've been sighted or at least heard of by now.

The one thing that I did believe was her good intentions for my people. Her overwhelming magical prowess could easily destroy my people and we'd be unable to stop it. Even if her strongest ability was to alter the very land itself, that would be more than enough to cover my village under a layer of rock. And, that was if her land altering ability was her strongest ability, there could be something else that she hadn't even revealed to me that could trump her previous feat.

I would have to have a long discussion with my brother and the elders about her proposal to join our village with hers. Even if there was an initial resistance to joining Kashia, we needed something to stabilize the tribe. My prototype fishery was still too small to feed the village continuously, and it needed to be adopted by the village quickly if we wished to stop anymore of the tribe from dying of famine.

At the same time that we are suffering, so are the other tribes living on the lake. Who knows how long it might be before another war breaks out to destroy another tribe in order to free up resources? At this point of time, if one of the other tribes were to ally with another and attack us, we'd be destroyed since it was difficult to maintain fighters when everyone had to work on gathering food.

If the tribe were to stay at the lake that Kashia created for only a year, we'd be able to grow strong once again without a famine weakening us and fear of our tribe being attacked every day. Even allying ourselves with Kashia would ensure our protection from other threats.

Another reason for why I was curious about the tribe joining with Kashia's village was because I've never heard of any village nearby that accepted all races into their territory. The only place that I could think did something similar was the Argland Council State which was far up north.

The final reason that I didn't wish to brush off Kashia's offer so simply is due to her divinity. That level of magic used to alter the land so easily was of a tier that I'd never believed was possible for a simple mortal. Her unclear answer about her divinity didn't help to dissuade my beliefs, especially because of how I've heard of too many legends about gods that disguised themselves and walked among mortals.

This just seemed too similar for me to turn a blind eye to, and if she was a god, then insulting her in some form could have repercussions for not just me, but the rest of the tribe as well.

"Hey, Zaryusu, you've been very quiet for a while. I hope that you're not afraid that I'll bite you and you must be loaded with questions that you wish to ask me." Looking over at Kashia, I gave her a nod before speaking. To be fair, I am still nervous about anything that I may say which could upset her.

"Sorry, Kashia, I'm just deep in thought at the moment, I hope that doesn't bother you?"

The woman simply smiled and waved my apology off before replying, "It's fine. I've had moments where someone had to yell at me to pull my mind back to reality." I couldn't help but smile at the personal flaw that she admitted, and she quickly noticed my reaction, "Ah, so you do have a sense of humor. Still, what's on your mind that I could possibly answer?"

"For one thing, you stated earlier that you've only been in this country for a few days, and yet you've already gotten so much built in your village. How did you even get so many beings to live in your there? The amount of people there would make one assume that you at least brought a group of followers with you before you arrived in the country."

"While I had to show you my prowess in magic to you, most of the others in the village just saw how strong I was physically. The goblins and hobgoblins were a small group of bandits that were scraping out a living by robbing from weak travelers. When they tried to do the same to me, I handedly defeated all of them with just my tails. Afterwards, I talked with them and agreed to make them a self-sufficient group that didn't need to steal in order to survive." After saying this, I found it a little absurd that such a small woman, while strong magically, could also overpower a group of goblins so easily.

"And what about the ogres and trolls?"

"It just started with two ogres that were part of a group that tried to raid a farm. I and a group of adventurers defeated most of the group except for two that ran away. After chasing after them, I questioned them before offering them a place in my village. The rest joined when I defeated the massive troll in the Great Forest that was leading all of them. I didn't need anything but my tails to show my strength, and they joined quickly afterwards."

Did she mean to say that she defeated one of the Three Monsters of the Forest? Whenever I left the lake in order to traverse the world, I always had to be wary about encountering even one of the Three. Of the Three, the physically strongest one was a giant troll known as Guu. He had amassed a large following of trolls and ogres that obeyed his commands.

"The giant troll that you speak of, he wouldn't have happened to be named Guu by any chance, would he?" I asked, slightly in hope that Kashia had taken care of one of the dangers plaguing the Great Forest, and also in fear as it would mean that not a single one of my tribe could even hope to defeat her physically if it came to it.

"Yes, he was, how did you know?"

"Guu is one of the Three Monsters, a trio that carved out different sections of the forest as their territory. If it's true that you managed to beat him, then that information could help you in convincing the tribe to join you." I answered.

"Three Monsters? Do you have any other information on the remaining two monsters?" The way that Kashia asked me this made me wonder if she was actually going to search for them. This day just keeps getting stranger.

"Of the three known, the physically strongest was Guu, as well as the most known. The other being is a naga with an extremely long name. They generally stay hidden and attack trespassers when they least expect it. The last creature is unknown, as none have survived to give out a description. It is simply known as the Wise King of the Forest."

Kashia rested her chin in her hand in thought. "I'll have to see about dealing with these two other monsters. While I killed Guu due to him causing problems that were creating conflict outside of the forest, I feel that these other two need to be dealt with in order to prevent innocent travelers in the forest from getting killed."

"If it'll help you, while the Three Monsters are territorial in their own ways, they can at least be reasoned with. There are a few stories of travelers offering food to the Wise King for safe passage with most offerings being accepted." I could actually attest to that claim as I once had to travel through the Wise King's section of the forest. Offering them some fish had granted me travel, though I never saw what they looked like.

"I'll have to keep that in mind." Kashia muttered to herself, "Any other questions?"

This question had been filling my mind for a while with all the potential possibilities it brought, "You mentioned that your culture was advanced, what other technologies did they possess besides fisheries?"

"Ahh, now that question is a little hard to answer…"

"Why, did they have only a few advancements?"

"No, it's because we had so many advancements that it's hard to keep track of. We had the printing press, a device that could create hundreds of copies of a book in only a fraction of the time done by hand. There was also refrigeration, where we discovered how to keep foods chilled and preserved for longer in any environment. There were also the farming techniques that revolutionized food production, and those are only simple advancements." Of the three advancements that Kashia mentioned, the one that stuck with me was the printing press.

It could take days to years for a scribe to transcribe the entirety of a book's contents onto another. The idea that there was a device that could make a hundred copies of a book in only a fraction of the time it takes now would change learning forever. The knowledge within one book could be spread to a hundred with the onset of a printing press. It would also make the owner of such a device one of the richest beings in the world as people from all around would come to this person to have their books copied.

"How is it that knowledge of this printing press hasn't spread to other lands yet? Surely such a discovery would eventually be spread across the world by now."

"My people tend to keep to themselves. Our nation remains hidden from the outside world unless some of us travel beyond its borders. Since I'm one of the few that has, I have quite a bit of knowledge from home that could help people in their daily lives." Kashia finished.

"Right, you said your people tend to keep to themselves a bit earlier." The one thing that was a bit odd about her race's shyness was the way that Kashia had come out to civilization and even revealed her form to me. Guess she was one of the exceptions to her race. "Now, before we arrive at the village, you need to understand that my people are weary of strangers, so I hope you don't judge my people too harshly because of this."

"Don't worry, I'll try to rein in my eccentricities while in your village." The kitsune replied in amusement. "I do wonder how your people must treat you considering that you are one of the few to ever leave it. Do they have a stigma against you because of this?"

"Yes." I answered with a bit of shock at how she surmised my treatment by my tribe. It was something that I'd taken notice of after leaving the Great Lake for the first time and then coming back. The tribesmen who'd once been open with me had stopped talking to me and while being a traveler was supposed to be a great honor as it meant the retrieval of new information that would aid in survival, I'd found that the tribe elders didn't care to listen to my findings as much as they should.

I thank the gods that my brother wasn't like that and actually took my opinions into consideration.

"Your tribe should treat one that brings back new ideas and technologies with greater respect. Such a shame." She remarked with disappointment.

"It's not entirely bad, Kashia. My brother takes great interest in what I learn on my travels and has adopted a few of my ideas into the tribe without too much issue. The fishery was one of the ideas that he was very keen on expanding, if the test run that I've set up works." I just hope that Kashia doesn't become less inclined to aid my tribe due to learning of its darker nature.

"Hopefully that doesn't hinder our goal at hand." She paused for a moment until another thought popped into her head, "You've talked about your brother quite a bit. Would you care to tell me more about him?"

"He's considered the strongest of our tribe, proven by his combat trials to remain our chief. Every year, he must fight any who challenge him for the right to rule. So far, he hasn't lost against any challengers. Aside from his combat ability, he's also a wise leader that listens to all the advice given before making a decision." I smirked before adding, "Just between us, he can be such a mother hen around me. I figure it's because I'm the younger brother."

Kashia giggled at hearing this, "I think that treating you like a kid is the job of all older siblings. I'm sorry to say, but I doubt that there's a magic spell that could fix it."

"If even a deity admits to being unable to change the curse of all younger siblings, then I fear that I am doomed." I said in amusement. Looking ahead, I could see the outline of the village which told me that we'd soon arrive at our destination. "We're almost done with our journey. Ready to meet the rest of my tribe?"

"Really? And here I was enjoying our conversation about sibling torments."

"No worries, it'll still take us a few minutes at the rate of which we're walking. That reminds me, you mentioned that you had a few siblings earlier. Any stories?" I didn't know if I had said something wrong since Kashia stayed silent for a few moments until she decided to answer.

"I was the youngest of my siblings. The oldest, Ketsumakuen, was standoffish. She was more likely to stay off to the side than to join a group. It made it hard to connect to her, but that didn't mean she couldn't be a good friend when it mattered. The middle child, Fuwafuwa Shiri, did her best when in the middle of a crowd. She was both hyper and very lazy. An odd combination of personality traits to be certain."

"How long has it been since you last saw them? They must be missing you if you've been gone for all these years."

"They…aren't alive anymore. Fuwafuwa died during a massive war between two guilds. She and her guild were fighting against another, larger group that completely wiped the guild and all its members off the face of the world. I would've joined in to help, but I was off traveling while she was fighting." Kashia's voice trailed off as her eyes seemed to lose a bit of the shine that once filled them.

"I'm sorry for bringing up such a dark memory. Will you still be fine with coming to the tribe or should we wait a few minutes?" Even after apologizing, I couldn't help but wonder about Kashia's sister. What type of power would be needed to kill the sister of a deity if said sister wasn't a deity herself? How much strength would be required to kill a god?

"No need to apologize, Zaryusu. You didn't know and I have gotten over it. But, to add onto my other sister, Ketsu, she disappeared a few months after Fuwa died. She hasn't been seen since, and at this point I just assume that she died." After she finished telling me about her sisters, Kashia looked at me with a smile, "No matter. It's unhealthy to keep your mind in the past when you have a future to look forwards to and a present that's given to you."

A nice saying, but it was obvious to tell that Kashia was hiding how she felt for my sake. Even if I wished to know more about what possibly could've killed her sister, it would be impolite and highly inappropriate to ask such personal questions when we only just met. Not that we'd have much of a chance to talk privately when we'd reach the tribe in less than a minute.

Up ahead, I could spot one of the guards patrolling the area for predators or invaders. I even knew him, Farquech, a large lizardman that even towered over my brother. His mud-brown scales made him perfect when he wished to blend in with the environment while his large size gave him the advantage when catching enemies unaware.

While a few of the tribe believed that he could take my brother on for the title of chief, I knew that Farquech lacked any sense of ambition to try and take Shasuryu's title. He was perfectly content with the simple responsibilities of a guard. Besides a lack of ambition, Farquesch was also one of few of the tribe that didn't care about tribal hierarchy which meant that he didn't care that I was a traveler.

"I'll do the talking for now; Farquesch doesn't know you so he'll be on edge." I told Kashia while waving to the guard.

"Your village, your rules. Anything that I should expect?"

"Water. We live in a swamp, so there are some sections of the village which are flooded." There wasn't much that I could really prepare Kashia for. Well…except for the children. They might try to get close and investigate her since none of the children had ever seen one without scales before.

"Will you next be telling me that water is wet or that the sky is blue?"

Looking up at the sky, I looked back down to Kashia, "Actually, I see a few clouds in the sky that are white. Does that help?" We were both silent until we started laughing at our jests. "I'll keep your preferences for hearing me state the obvious in mind for the future."

"Good luck, Zary." I couldn't help but raise my brow at the new nickname of mine.

"Zary?"

"Your name's a bit of a mouthful and I'm not the most formal of people. Does that bother you?"

"Not really. It just threw me off is all. Just try and not call me that when we meet the elders and especially my brother. He will never let that one go." I sincerely hope that Kashia didn't end up embarrassing me while she was here.

Looking away from Kashia, I spotted Farquesch walking towards us with his steel spear slung across his shoulders with a calm expression on his face. Periodically, his eyes would look in Kashia's direction as he studied her. "Greetings, Farquesch! We have a visitor."

"Ho! Zaryusu, it's been a while. Who's this stranger accompanying you?" Farquesch asked as he planted the butt of his spear into the ground and leaned forwards on it in a relaxed position.

"This is a sorceress that I met named Kashia Blanc. She had a unique proposal for the tribe, and I wanted to bring her to my brother and the elders so that they could hear her out." I answered while leaving out some of the larger details. Depending upon how discussions went, I wanted to avoid putting the tribe into a panic over a deity visiting the village.

Farquesch hummed in thought, "Must be something important if you brought an outsider here. This even brought you away from that big project I hear you've been working on. Ever plan on telling me what it is that you've got hidden at that shack of yours?" It's true that I've been secretive about the prototype fishery of mine, but I had good reasons for it.

If the tribe learned that there were a bunch of fish ripe and for the picking, then it was a certain possibility that some of the tribe would be tempted to sneak to my shack and steal the fish before my project was even finished. Only my brother knew exactly what I was making since I could trust him to not eat the fish before they were ready.

At least I hoped so. I've seen him come by my shack a few times with a hungry look on his face just to watch the fish swim around the fishery. I swear, the minute that he learns when the fish are ready he'd be at my home with a plate in hand.

"Just wait. When my project is done, you'll be the second person after my brother to see it." I promised Farquesch. At least he'd be more patient than my brother.

"I'll hold you to that promise." Giving Kashia another glance, Farquesch added, "I don't see anything wrong with letting this woman into the village, at least as long as she's with you. What is she? Never heard anything about a human with tails and ears like that before."

"Kitsune. My race is called the kitsune." Kashia interjected, "I hope that helps, Farquesch." The large guardian smirked and nodded at Kashia's answer.

"At least you can speak. Never heard of your kind before. Reckon that you must be from far off." Farquesch turned to me and asked, "She is from far off, right? My knowledge of others outside of the lake isn't as good as yours."

"Indeed." I nodded, much to the guard's relief.

"At least I didn't embarrass myself in front of the newcomer. Good luck with whatever business you have here. Don't cause a ruckus, else I'll have to get involved which I really don't want right now." After saying this, Farquesch stepped aside to allow us through.

Even if the big lizardman acted lazy, he is still a good guardian of the tribe. An advantage he had in his duties was his talent to discern friend from foe. It made him perfect at assessing visitors who entered the village. Him allowing Kashia through without issue swayed some of his doubts of bringing Kashia here.

Upon entering the threshold of the village, I noticed Kashia looking around in curiosity at the buildings and inhabitants. As we continued walking, I was able to pick out a few of the children who were previously running around were now watching Kashia with mixed emotions. "The chief's longhouse is up ahead. Before we arrive there, have you thought about what you're going to say to my brothers and the elders?"

"Possibly. I have a question; do any of your elders have weak hearts which would be unable to stand any form of shock?" That is very disturbing to ask. What could she be possibly planning that could result in any of the elders dying of a heart attack?

"Please avoid anything that could potentially kill the elders. That could destroy any possible relations between the tribe and you." I couldn't help but sigh at the havoc Kashia could cause. She waved my pleas off before adding something that worried me further.

"You won't have to worry about your elders dying. I'll just resurrect them if the worst comes to pass."

Why did I even bother? Commanding a deity to reign themselves in was a futile attempt from the very beginning. Commanding a deity like Kashia is like reigning in a rampaging storm. The best one could hope for is that the storm would pass over and not cause too much destruction.

Yet, even with the chaotic personality of hers, she did show an intellectual side in our conversations. Even now, I noticed how her ears twitched at the slightest sound while her feline eyes studied all the activity around her. It made it hard to truly read her at times.

"You don't have to sneak about." Kashia suddenly announced while turning around, "I won't bite." After saying this, three children nervously stepped out into full view from behind a hut that they'd been hiding. It was easy to recognize these three since they'd run about the tribe everyday playing games.

Two of them were siblings with matching coloring similar to bricks that made up human settlements. One, a boy named Xerulu who stood the tallest of the trio was the troublemaker of the group. The other, a girl named Shashana was the shortest of the group, yet she made up for it with her tenacity and the muscles that were already developing on her body. The last of the group was a boy named Zerusch.

The boy took after his father, Farquesch, in appearance though his size did leave much to be desired as he was nowhere near the stature of his father. He had time to grow at least, but his size was a sore spot for the time being. Zerusch was usually dragged along into the siblings' misadventures that spanned all across the village.

My only solace of living away from the rest of the tribe was that I hadn't been terrorized by the trio just yet. That may yet change as they get older since that usually made children bolder in their actions. I've heard so many complaints from my brother about all the messes that he's had to clean up after the pulled one of their 'practical jokes'.

"C'mon Zeru, she doesn't look that scary." Shashana confidently stated as she marched forwards.

"I don't know, Shash. I've heard all kinds of stories about no-scales being violent and warlike." Zerusch replied as he eyed Kashia with suspicion.

"You're just talking about humans, Zeru. Can't ya' see that the outsider ain't human? She's got those tails and ears. Ever heard of a human having tails and ears?" Xerulu interjected as he began pulling Zerusch forwards towards Kashia.

"Doesn't mean that the outsider isn't an enemy. Could be a spy for one of the other tribes." Zerusch acted paranoid about potential threats due to his goal of eventually joining his father in guarding the village. This meant that he could be quite…overzealous in defending the village. Regardless of his opinion on our visitor, his traitorous companions dragged him with them to Kashia.

"How do you use that many tails? Doesn't it get confusing to keep track of?" Xerulu asked in interest. Kashia seemed slightly surprised at being asked the question. Yet, the surprise fell away to amusement as a smirk grew on her face.

"A human might ask the same of you if you met one." Kashia replied.

"But humans are strange. Not having tails must make them really unbalanced. One elder, Korkoryus, lost her tail and needs a cane now to walk." Shashana added in.

"It may seem strange that they lack tails but not every race in the world can grow a tail. While a human grows up without at tail, they are very capable of great dexterous feats. We just have an advantage on races without tails since we have another limb to utilize." Kashia then giggled and added, "In my case, I have quite a few more limbs than most others."

"Wouldn't that give enemies more spots to target on your body? Seems a hindrance to have all that extra weight." Zerusch remarked with that combat-inspired curiosity. His question did have merit if he didn't know what I did. The weight that came from the fur, muscles, and bones in Kashia's tails would likely add up to the weight of another human, yet her immense strength countered this so-called hindrance.

"Of all the limbs on my body, my tails are both the strongest and toughest ones. Their adamantine durability can even allow me to use them as a shield to block attacks." Another new trait that I learn about the kitsune. At this point, I feel like I'll need to get a journal to write down all of this information about the kitsune that I've been learning. Another one would probably be needed just for Kashia herself.

"They don't seem that tough." Shashana muttered.

"Appearances can be deceiving. Isn't that right, Zaryusu?" I nodded at the question and remained silent. "Just because I don't look that intimidating with my fluffy tails and ears doesn't mean that I couldn't beat someone to a pulp with them." While saying this, I noticed how three of Kashia's tails had begun snaking into position above the trio while her other tails worked on keeping the attention of the children occupied. I kept quiet about what I thought Kashia was about to do, namely because this would probably be amusing.

"Keep that in mind when you encounter opponents since the best defense one could ever have is to be underestimated." She took this moment to strike as her three tails whipped downwards until they wrapped themselves around the waists of each child. Effortlessly, Kashia's tails lifted all three squirming children into the air. "Second lesson of combat, avoid focusing on one area of your opponent for too long since they might just be trying to distract you from their true intentions."

"No fair! We weren't even ready!" Xerulu exclaimed as he tried to pry himself out of serpentine grip of Kashia's tail. The kitsune laughed at the complaint before turning her attention to me.

"Hey, Zaryusu, think these kids would make nice decorations to hang above me while I'm in this village?" Hearing the potential humiliation, all three children struggled to escape Kashia's grip with a new intensity.

"While it would be hilarious, I doubt that their parents would be too thrilled to hear that their children were being used as decorations by an outsider." I answered with a grin. Kashia playfully sighed in disappointment as she lowered the trio back on the ground before releasing them from her tails.

"Guess I have to play nice. I'm a guest here after all." Turning back to the children, "I hope that you've learned to not judge a being based on their appearance since they could make a fool of you." She consoled as she crossed her arms under her abnormally large chest. Why did humanoid mammals require such large milk storage areas in such an inconvenient area that could interfere with movement? I still didn't understand why human males had such an obsession with that anatomy.

"We understand." The trio answered with a more respectful tone to the kitsune.

"Could you teach me how to do that?" Shashana asked with interest. Kashia seemed to ponder this before she replied.

"Maybe another time. Unfortunately, I've got some important business that needs to be taken care of. Really boring adult stuff, y'know what I mean?"

"What business do you have here that's so important?" Zerusch's question made me nervous that Kashia might say something that I'd rather have kept quiet. If these three learned the reason for our arrival, they'd no doubt spread that gossip fast enough that the entire tribe would know by nightfall.

"Just a few things that I need to talk to your chief about." She then leaned closer to the children and freed one of her hands to snap her fingers. A myriad of sparks burst from her fingers and started dancing around the trio before fizzling out. "Magical stuff." She patted the trio on their heads before turning back to me and signaling me to move. "See you kids later."

"Later, tail-lady!" The trio replied back before bursting into excited whispering as we walked away. From the way that Kashia's ears were twitching, I assumed that she could hear what they were discussing since the amusement coming from her was palpable.

"You're pretty good with children. Especially those three troublemakers."

She shrugged, "Not that difficult. You just need to show them who's boss while also being personable. Those kids seemed like they wanted to see something interesting, so I gave them a show of it."

"Right. You're certain that it wasn't because you had the chance to terrorize some children?"

"Strange how you immediately think about terrorizing children. Is that one of your fantasies?" The kitsune rebutted. I could only roll my eyes at her taunt before refocusing my mind on the task at hand. Even now, her little display had attracted the attention of the villagers in the area who would likely go on to tell their neighbors.

"The longhouse is right ahead. It'll be unlikely for all the elders to be assembled together inside, but my brother usually is there around this time of day to listen to the tribe." Up ahead, the longhouse was held aloft by stilts over the wet mud of the swamp. The longhouse didn't have much to differentiate it from the other huts of the tribe.

It was circular is design and constructed of wood unlike the roof which consisted of a mix of mud and thatch. In the doorway like all the other huts, a cloth blocked the view of the inside. The difference with the longhouse was that the symbol of the tribe was painted on it. Another difference with this building was its size. It was created to hold a greater amount of people at one time.

"Have you ever considered making doors for your buildings? It would be more durable in the long run than to use cloth."

"True that may be, yet creating doors takes greater work and tools that we lack." I answered.

"Ever considered becoming more industrious? Chopping down trees in less waterlogged environments to make more stable foundations, attempting to create mines for metals, expand into agriculture."

I shook my head, "Cutting down trees takes time which is something the tribe lacks due to our consistent food shortages. Mining requires the knowledge of where to dig along with the ability to smith tools. Adding how hostile other beings of the lake and forest can be about their territory being encroached and we are given few options."

"Ever considered finding a magic user that could [Enlarge] your food so that you wouldn't have to worry about a lack of fish?"

"That would be nice if not for a few problems. Casting [Enlarge] would require a mage that can cast 2nd Tier magic and knows that spell. Hard enough to find in any group, and harder still to get the mage to deign themselves to such menial work in the middle of a monster hotspot. Add into that problem is that the spell has a limit so all that enlarged food would shrink after a few minutes." Even as I told her this, I couldn't help but predict that Kashia had something up her sleeve for this.

"Ah, so it seems that metamagic abilities are slightly harder to come by in this part of the world." The kitsune mused to herself.

"Metamagic is possible, it's just that I've never heard of any type of metamagic that could greatly extend the length of the spell you're proposing to create a viable food source."

"That's just because you haven't seen all of my fun tricks, yet. I've already given myself an idea that may assist in convincing your tribe, so thanks for being my sounding board." What in the world is a sounding board? I had to ask this to get more clarification, "It's a figure of speech meant for when someone assists in testing the validity of an idea."

"Something learned, something gained. I'll keep that saying in mind for the future. Aside from word choices, I seriously hope that whatever idea you just came up with wasn't your only idea." As I said this, we had already reached the steps of the longhouse which we started ascending.

"Have a bit more faith in me." As she said this, I pulled the cloth of the doorway aside and entered first while Kashia followed closely after me. Inside the longhouse, a carpet made up of dried reeds and leaves woven together, covered the ground. Ahead, sitting on a small bench was my brother, Shasuryu, conversing with two elders.

My brother and I shared similar coloring, yet that was where the similarities of our appearances stopped. Shasuryu was covered in scars from fights before his chiefdom, and many more received afterwards from challengers for his title. This continuous combat throughout his life had given him great strength that showed when comparing his size to mine.

While our arrival wasn't noticed by the elders due to their backs to us, Shasuryu quickly noticed Kashia and I as we walked towards them.

"Brother! It's a rare sight to see you in the village, rarer still to see one that isn't a lizardman. What's the occasion?" Shasuryu enthusiastically asked. Kashia and I sat down and joined the group before answering. Even now, I noticed the looks of disapproval that the elders gave me. They disliked how even with my status as a traveler, I held great sway over my brother. Add to that their preference for isolationism, and they must be seething at what they perceived to be me flaunting my political power.

"My friend here is actually the reason, Shasuryu. This is Kashia Blanc, a sorceress who had an interesting proposal that needed to be brought to your attention. Trust me when I say that you shouldn't treat this offer lightly." I explained as respectfully as I could.

Shasuryu and the elders turned their attention to Kashia with curiosity. "It's rare for one to garner my brother's attention so easily. And, while you look human, your tails and ears say otherwise."

"You're right, I'm not human. I am a kitsune from a far-off land, and from what your brother has told me, my kind are completely unknown here." Kashia answered with an inviting smile.

"Or she could be a human disguising herself with illusionary magic to allay our suspicions. For all we know, she could be a spy from the Dragon Claw or the Red Eye who'll inform them about our strengths and weaknesses." The elder, Korkoryus, stated with paranoia.

I didn't feel comfortable with the unchanging smile on Kashia's face or the way that her eyes lacked the amusement they usually contained. What really confirmed her mood was her tails. The fur on them, normally smooth like silk, was beginning to bristle.

"I'll assure you; this body is very much real. I hope that you'll refrain from insulting me when I'm being quite civil." To make a point, one of her tails snaked forwards until it rested on Korkoryus' lap.

"Don't attempt to frighten me, girl. You stand in the center of our tribe and any hostile action you attempt will be answered with your swift end." Korkoryus was always more conflict-prone than the other elders or my brother. She'd been a fighter his entire life, and that translated to most of her advice being filled with paranoia and warmongering. I couldn't stand the elder lizardman, but she did have moments where her wisdom was the most appropriate.

"If you must refer to me by anything other than my name, then call me lady. I'm no girl. And secondly; if I wanted you dead, your village would be a crater in the ground, and that is by far the most boring method that I could perform to kill everyone here." Kashia stated proudly as her tail slid off Korkoryus' lap.

"Trust what she says. I've seen what she can do firsthand, and if she wanted us dead, it wouldn't be an issue for her to end us like she says, not a single issue for a goddess like her to do so." I decided to reveal her divinity to them immediately, and hopefully Kashia would confirm my statement.

The elders were wide-eyed as I said this, while my brother kept an unemotional expression, yet his eyes couldn't hide the incredulity that they contained.

"You must be joking. Shasuryu, are you really going to listen to your brother blather on about this stranger that he proclaims a goddess? It's absolute lunacy!" Korkoryus barked out with a scowl made worse by the numerous scars across her face.

"Even I would be hard-pressed to believe such claims. While I might be open to the idea, there isn't any proof of your claims, traveler Zaryusu. Even then, why would a goddess even decide to aid us?" The other elder, Caleo, said with a calm tone. He was one of the calmer of the elders, though anyone might seem calm when compared to Korkoryus. The issue I had with him was how much of a stickler he was with tradition and preferred stagnancy to change.

My brother remained silent as the elders voiced their opinions. Likely because he wished to remain neutral in the discussion and avoid showing me favoritism.

"You're right, elder. Why would any of you believe that I have any form of divinity when you've only just met me, an outsider to your ways and customs? If I was a fraud, I'd attempt to convince you with words and tricks about my truthfulness. Luckily for you, I'm not a fraud, and I plan to give you proof." She stood back onto her feet which made an audible and ominous clack on the floor due to her strangely designed footwear.

"If you'd like to stand, I will be teleporting us outside the village to avoid collateral damage." As she said this, I was the first to stand while the others continued to remain seated. After a few tense moments when I thought that Kashia might unwillingly teleport the elders and Shasuryu, it was said brother who broke his neutrality and stood.

To Korkoryus' chagrin, Caleo stood with his chief, leaving the cantankerous elder being the only one remaining seated. "You would put your trust in a stranger and a traveler to not teleport us into a hostile environment?! How can you be so foolish?"

"If it's your will to not teleport, then I won't force you. But, if you wish to still see my display, you can walk outside the village gate that is guarded by Farquech. [Greater Teleportation]!" Kashia announced as that familiar stretching feeling washed over my body and the world blurred until all of us, besides Korkoryus arrived atop flooded ground that allowed us all to overlook the lake.

"That gave me such a headache," Shasuryu muttered as he began to look around at our surroundings. Behind us, the village was a few hundred meters away. Easily in walking distance, and close enough that any tribe member near the gate could see whatever miracle that Kashia planned to perform.

"Hope that your headache doesn't impair your eyesight because you're about to witness my first trick! [Creation]!" Kashia clapped her hands together before extending them out before her as mystical circles formed of pure mana grew around her. For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen. Then, in the deeper waters of the lake about a hundred meters away, the waters began bubbling and churning like a maelstrom.

"What is she doing?" Caleo asked while his focus stayed on the churning water ahead.

"She is changing the very landscape itself." I answered while continuing to watch. If it was anything like the lake she'd created earlier, then it would be something of a grand scale.

"Changing the very land?" Shasuryu said in disbelief. The churning finally stopped and left the waters of the lake abnormally calm. Then, the true display of her spell began.

The calm of the water broke as a structure of granite broke through it and created large waves which rippled across the lake. This didn't stop as the structure continued rising like a twisting tree of stone being pulled up by a massive invisible hand.

"This…this is incredible…" Shasuryu remarked in awe as the stone tree continued growing. Sections of the tree grew off from the main pillar to form branches, and on these branches grew plants and trees. Yet, it wasn't just the branches of this stone tree that became covered in life as vines and such began spreading along the main pillar.

Strangest of all was the waterfalls that spewed forth from the tips of each of these branches and drained back into the lake below. When she had finished with growing the tree, it stood like a mountain above the trees of the forest. Yet, this wasn't all as the base of the tree began expanding until the base was double the width of the rest of the tree's pillar.

Finally, a bridge of granite grew across the water until it reached our location. Pillars expanded beneath the bridge and into the water to provide support while plant-life grew upon it in the form of vines and grass.

When Kashia concluded her display, she turned towards us once more with a cocky grin upon her face. "I hope you all like my newest art piece. I call it the Tree of Gods." She stated with a bow, though I highly doubted that Shasuryu or Caleo noticed as their focus was on the massive structure that had just been spawned in the middle of the lake.

"Would you like a tour of the Tree, I made certain to create pathways within it so that you could traverse it if need be." The second time that Kashia spoke, the shocked pair finally took notice of her speaking and paid attention.

"What power! I've lived to see much displays of magic throughout my time, but I never could have imagined creating a structure of this size alone would be in the realm of the Thirteen Heroes. Yet, to do both that and create life along with it…What are you?" Caleo asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"I have been completely truthful since I first arrived. I have come to offer you and your tribe a deal that would benefit you and all future generations of your tribe if you were to accept. My name is Kashia Blanc, one of only 21 kitsune who gained their ninth tail, a traveler of distant realms, the last walking incarnation of disaster, chosen disciple of two deities, leader of a village of all races, and mistress of the mystic arts! My name is Kashia Blanc and I am the daughter of the goddess Inari!"

While announcing her identity, her voice started to echo while other voices overlapped it. Some men, some women, yet Kashia's voice remained dominant above them. The orange of her eyes glowed like an inferno while her slitted pupils seemed to stare into not just my soul, but the souls of my brother and Caleo.

Her presence had also changed. Whereas before she felt sociable and reachable, now she radiated pure power which I never could believe myself to attain even in my furthest dreams. It was commanding enough that I almost fell to my knees to bow before her.

My brother was probably feeling Kashia's presence even worse due to being unprepared, yet he showed his willpower by still standing even with this pervading aura of Kashia's filling the area. The same couldn't be said for the elder, Caleo, as he fell to his knees with his head bowed down and eye avoiding contact with Kashia's form.

"Lady Kashia, we don't need any further proof of your divinity. The elders will be gathered immediately to listen to your offer if you're still willing to speak to us." Shasuryu said in a tense and respectful tone. I couldn't imagine the effort Shasuryu had to exert to remain standing while also holding a calm conversation with the goddess.

Upon hearing my brother say this, the overwhelming presence of Kashia's finally died down and the glow in her eyes faded back to their normal orange. She smiled as she said, "I'm glad that we could finally reach an understanding, Shasuryu. Shall I teleport us back or would you like to walk?"

"Walking would be fine. I'm still feeling a headache from you teleporting us earlier." Shasuryu calmly answered. It was clear to see that he was nervous around Kashia, which would mean that he'd be more cautious around the kitsune.

I didn't blame him for his fear. Even though I knew that she is here with benevolent intentions in mind, her ridiculous power still terrified me. My solace was that she was at least the tribe's ally rather than its enemy.

---

Time seemed to move at a snail's pace as I sat with Kashia in the longhouse. After the display of her power, we rushed back to the village to gather the other elders. Currently, besides us, Korkoryus and Caleo sat with us in the longhouse waiting while my brother ran off to gather the remaining four elders.

Even though our meeting's content was meant to be hidden from the village, it was hard to hide the massive stone construct that Kashia had raised from the depths of the lake. Periodically checking outside the longhouse, I had spotted members of the tribe gathering near the front gate to investigate the Tree of Gods. Some braver tribesmen were even moving closer to it.

Speaking of strange behavior, Caleo hadn't been the same since he got back. When we walked back to the village, Caleo had been looking at Kashia with the reverence of a fanatic that was concerning. Korkoryus on the other hand had been in an even fouler mood since she decided to look at Kashia's creation.

I didn't know what thoughts might be passing through Korkoryus' head, but I doubted that any of them were friendly. It'd be more than likely that the old warhawk was thinking up methods on how to possibly kill Kashia.

None of these concerns were voiced to Kashia as I feared what she may do, especially I didn't want our discussions to be soured by paranoia. There was already enough of that going around to last a lifetime.

Just when I thought this growing tension would reach a head, my brother finally arrived with the other elders. Each of them took a seat in front of Kashia, with Shasuryu being the last to sit. "Lady Kashia, I've brought all the remaining elders to listen to your offer. We are ready to hear you."

"Thanks for being so open to hear me. For those of you who have just arrived, my name is Kashia Blanc; daughter of the goddess Inari. I have come to your tribe today to offer you a place in the town that I've been creating. From what I've been told, the location of your tribe has not aided in sustaining your people or allowing you to prosper. In fact, I know that all of you have been suffering constant famines that have impacted not just your tribe but all others inhabiting the lake."

"How do you possibly have enough space to house and sustain our tribe of 343 members? Even beyond available space, how do you expect to transport all of us safely through the Great Forest without any accidents or hardships?" The elder, Dranuse interrogated.

"I have a spell that could transport all of your people instantly to my village which mitigates the hazards of traveling. And, no doubt you've already seen the massive stone construct I made outside your village. Using the same spell that I used to create that construct, I also created a massive lake which Zaryusu personally saw. It has more than enough space to fit your entire tribe without any of you needing to worry about resources. I can even demonstrate why that is if one of you were to give me a fish as an example."

A few of the elders began muttering amongst themselves while Shasuryu walked to a basket in the corner of the room that contained some salted fish. While the salt helped preserve the fish, it was a limited commodity that was difficult to come by. After collecting a single fish, my brother walked over to Kashia and handed her test example.

"Thank you." She said as she took the fish. "[Permanize Magic: Enlarge]!" All of us witnessed as the fish, a measly six inches in length that would be barely enough to feed an adult let alone a child, suddenly grew until it was four feet long. When she was done, she set the fish down in front of herself and the group of confused elders, "Under normal circumstances, a being or object hit with the [Enlarge] spell would only last a few minutes at best. Due to my metamagic, this spell will never end unless I wish it to. Worrying about famine in a short timeframe will no longer be an issue for your tribe. And, due to Zaryusu's fishery idea, making a sustainable fish population to feed your tribe in the long run is completely possible."

The moment Kashia mentioned my name, I felt all the eyes of the elders on me. I didn't exactly like the attention, especially since I knew that Kashia was already aware of fisheries, and yet she was trying to pass it all off as my idea. What could she be playing at?

Aside from Kashia bringing attention to me, I couldn't help but be amazed at this feat of metamagic that I'd never seen before. To permanently enchant an object with a spell seemed absolutely incredible and useful. No doubt, the elders and Shasuryu felt the same way watching the goddess perform miracle after miracle.

"By all accounts, everything you are promising us seems too good to be true…" Elder Zearus spoke up, "Why is it that you come to our simple tribe with offers and displays that seem to benefit us more than it does you?"

"When I came to the Great Forest of Tob earlier today, I wished to only end the threat that the troll known as Guu was bringing to the south. Afterwards, I came to the lake to simply enjoy the waters until I encountered Zaryusu."

The oldest of the elders, Aileus, took this moment to interrupt Kashia when he asked, "Are you saying that you killed one of the three great monsters that ruled a section of Tob? I heard that the three were unbeatable!"

"I did indeed kill Guu. Though I offered him the chance to cease his activities that were bringing conflict to the south. He rudely declined with his club which is when I killed him. Afterwards, I offered all of those that followed him the opportunity to leave the area or to join my village." Kashia answered, impressing both Aileus and a few of the other elders who muttered among themselves.

"Regardless of my prior feats, Zaryusu and I conversed for some time and I learned of all the troubles that not just your tribe, but all lizardmen tribes inhabiting this lake faced. I've been to places suffering similar troubles to yours when I lacked the power to do something. Now that I have the power to help you over the same problems I see here, I see it as my duty to do so." Kashia replied in a respectful tone.

"In the village that I've been developing, I've recently created an entire lake which I populated with fish, along with space around this lake to settle and make as a home. In my village, you'd be apart of a greater collective that accepts all races into its folds, and no longer would your tribe need to worry about competing for resources. If you wished it, I could even transport us to the village so that you may see my claims with your own eyes."

Elder Zearus was the first to ask, "Lady Kashia, if the Green Claw tribe were to join this village of yours, what rights would we have? Would we even have autonomy, or would we have to follow your every order?" Based on the answer that Kashia gave, this could be a deal breaker to a few of the elders. Especially ones like Korkoryus.

"That is a fair question. Within my village, you'd have autonomy to live where you wish and a chief to continue leading you. This chief would answer to me when called, but besides the few things that I may ask of your tribe, you'd be free to govern yourselves however you wished. The only things that I would ask is that you would not kill, steal, or harm the other citizens of the village. If any of you would like to leave the village, you would be free to do so at any time. I'd even help relocate anyone if they wished it."

"These terms of yours sound fair to be sure," Shasuryu announced, ceasing all the hushed conversations between the elders, "yet it would be unwise to make this decision hastily, especially when something of this importance will affect not just us, but all members of the tribe. I ask that you allow the Green Claw at least a week to discuss your offer amongst ourselves before we give you our answer. Would you be willing to accept this?"

A tension filled the room as we all waited for Kashia's answer. Even though I doubted that Kashia would perform any malicious actions against us for asking this small boon, the rest of the elders and possibly my brother didn't know this.

The instant that Kashia nodded in agreement, I heard sighs of relief escape from a few of the elders as that seemed to have been holding their breaths in wait. "If a week to deliberate is what you want, then I will honor your wishes. Answering an offer of this importance shouldn't be decided lightly." The goddess then started reaching to open space, at least until a black void swallowed her hand.

Upon finally pulling her hand out of the void, she brought from it a scroll which I had no doubt was magical in nature. One of her tails then removed the scroll from her hand and stretched forwards to Shasuryu until the object was deposited in my brother's lap.

Gingerly picking up the scroll, my brother was about to roll it open when Kashia's tail stopped him. "That is a [Message] scroll with a one-time use. If you wish to contact me anytime earlier within the week, then open the scroll and speak your message. I will arrive shortly after to meet you in this very building and we can talk. Additionally, in seven days I'll arrive in this building at noon in case we haven't come to an agreement earlier in the week."

The eyes of the elders all focused on the small object that could, in essence, summon a goddess to speak to us. It was a bit amusing to consider that a relatively simple magical object powered by one of the simpler 2nd tier spells could make an effect that trumped the spell. Yet, even with all this proof, some of the elders were still in doubt.

But there was one possibility that could help sway their opinions and allow me to fulfil my duty as a traveler of the Green Claw. "Lady Kashia, if you would allow me, I'd like to accompany you to your village as a temporary ambassador to gather information and aid in the cultural relations of the inhabitants of your village and the Green Claw."

"Zaryusu, are you certain that this is what you wish?" Shasuryu asked with concern. I couldn't help but smile at the way my brother was attempting to protect me from the potential threat of a goddess.

"Brother, I'm a traveler of the Green Claw. My duty is to travel beyond the tribe in the pursuit of knowledge to strengthen us. Learning about Kashia's village is one of the reasons for why I'm a traveler." I stated proudly. Even with the scorn and disdain that the tribe gave me at times, I couldn't simply ignore my duty. "Would you allow this, Lady Kashia?"

"Of course, Zaryusu. If you were to wish it, I could even give you [Message] scrolls to report back to the Green Claw each day and I'll return you back home at the end of the week safe and sound." I couldn't help but feel elated at Kashia's enthusiastic reply. Our tribe needed all the assistance that it could receive, and should all turn out well, it could be possible to get the other tribes of lizardmen to join Kashia's village.

While there were members of the Green Claw that preferred staying isolated from the rest of the tribes, I believed that joining together would make us stronger than staying separate. It's just that the idea had been a far-off dream due to the shortages of food. Now, uniting the tribes was in the realm of possibility.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." The goddess answered warmly. "Aside from my offer to the Green Claw, I'm also gifting you the Tree of Gods that I created for taking the time to hear me. Make of it what you will."

"We're honored to be given such a gift, Lady Kashia. If this is all, then I believe that this meeting is concluded." Shasuryu finished. With the meeting concluded, the elders quickly started to stream out of the hut until only Kashia, Shasuryu, and I remained. "If you wish, I'd be honored to host a dinner for you and Shasuryu in my home."

"And I feel honored to receive such a prestigious invitation. Unfortunately, there are matters that I must take care of today that can't be ignored. Perhaps another night when all of us are less burdened by our duties." That silver tongue hers dodged the invitation gracefully, completely opposite of how I've seen her acting before. And, these duties that Kashia spoke of made me wonder tasks required the might of a goddess? Perhaps I might find out later when we arrived at her village.

"I'll hold you to that promise in the future." Shasuryu said with a laugh, "Before you leave with my brother, could I speak to him privately for a moment?" Kashia agreed and swiftly exited the longhouse, leaving just my brother and I remaining.

"Little brother, I have no idea where you found that woman, but you certainly broke the horse's back with the friend that you've made."

"I couldn't exactly say that we are friends right now. We've only just met one another, yet she's shown more sympathy to our plight than any other that I've encountered in my travels. I believe that it's possible for me to befriend her considering how accepting she is." I answered truthfully. Not even the possibility that the kitsune could hear our conversation with those ears of hers made me waver in my belief.

"Hopefully your relationship can continue positively growing. Even if we could only get her as an ally if we decline her proposal, it would still give us a massive defense if outsiders or the other tribes were to attack us." Shasuryu placed his hand on my shoulder while his face became grim and serious, "But I'm disappointed in you for one reason…" This made me worried. How could I give my brother any cause for concern?

"I'm disappointed that while you manage to gain the attention of a living goddess, you still are unable to find a mate!" He then broke out into boisterous laughter while my heart stopped pumping as fast as before.

"Really? You're still bothering me about my love life? You're supposed to be the more mature older brother." He quickly pulled me into a hug and patted me on the back before separating.

"You're my little brother. It's my job to look out for you, and if necessary, tease you about anything and everything. Besides, it can be painful to be married at times. It's unfair that you aren't suffering like I am." Ever since Shasuryu had mated with his wife, he'd been constantly trying to get me to pair off with someone. It would no doubt get worse whenever his wife became pregnant.

"Whatever." I answered while rolling my eyes, "While I'm gone, could you take care of the fishery and avoid eating any of the fish before I get back?"

"I'll try my best, Zaryusu, but I don't know how much longer my will can hold out. They just look so plump and delicious." Even now, he was salivating at the thought of eating them while his tail was wagging in excitement.

"You managed to hold your will against that of a goddess earlier today. How could a couple of fish break what I goddess couldn't?"

"You made them look too delicious, little brother. Fish aside, I want you to be careful and stay safe while at Kashia's village. If something were to happen to you, I doubt that I'd be able to function without a little brother to dote over and tease."

"Don't worry, I'll send you a report every night while I'm gone to let you know I'm safe, and each message will have the word for this symbol at the start or end." I used my claw to scratch a crude symbol of a fish into the uncarpeted wooden floor. "If Kashia swore upon my safety, then nothing will happen to me while I'm in her village. She doesn't seem like the kind of person that would break a promise." What I didn't say aloud was belief that she did seem the type to twist her promises if she wanted to.

"I pray that you're correct. Will you be taking Rororo with you or shall I look after him?" I didn't even consider leaving Rororo behind as it would be wise to have a known ally in unfamiliar territory. That, and he could become very depressed if separated from me for long. Hopefully the food that I'd left for him in the shack would occupy him until I got back.

"He'll keep me company at Kashia's village. I think that you'll have more than enough responsibilities of caring for my fish without eating them without a hydra to add to it."

He nodded with a smirk, "Good luck, little brother. I'll see you in a week's time." Each of us stood up as our conversation concluded and exited the longhouse where Kashia was waiting at the bottom of the steps for us.

"Conversation go well?" She asked.

"Certainly did. Just had to tease my brother before I let him go traveling again." As we met Kashia at the bottom of the steps, Shasuryu took on the chief persona once more and said, "I hope that regardless of what we decide, our peoples can build a strong relationship with one another." As he said this, he held his hand out to Kashia.

It was good to see that Kashia shook my brother's hand as it showed that she didn't hold any type of disdain to those weaker than her. "I'm certain that we will come to an understanding eventually. No matter your choice, I promise that I will still be willing to aid your people even if you aren't part of my village." The two leaders then pulled their hands away and I moved over to Kashia's side.

"Before we head to your village, I wanted to head back to my shack to bring my hydra Rororo with us." I announced before Kashia could teleport us.

"A hydra? No wonder your shack seemed like it'd been doused in liquid hydra. You keep surprising me more and more. I certainly like that in my friends." She finished with a cheeky grin.